Principal Embedded Software Engineer - FPGA

Stryker Employment Company, LLC; Portage (MI); Hybrid; USD 136,000 - 226,000; Full time

Job summary

Stryker seeks a Principal Embedded Software Engineer (FPGA) to architect and lead FPGA-based and embedded software for medical devices. You will drive hardware/software co-design, define requirements, and ensure traceability and lifecycle compliance across design controls.

You’ll mentor engineers, coordinate with Systems, Electrical, Quality, Regulatory, Clinical, Manufacturing, and Product teams, and establish verification strategies, CI workflows, and risk management aligned with IEC 62304,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 8+ years of embedded software experience.
• Experience with FPGA-based systems including design, integration, and verification.
• Proficiency in C/C++ and FPGA development languages (VHDL/Verilog/SystemVerilog).
• Experience leading complex embedded product development and architecture, requirements, system integration, and verification.
• Knowledge of IEC 62304, ISO 14971, and ISO 13485 (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, design, implementation, integration, and verification of complex FPGA-based and embedded software systems for medical devices.
• Drive hardware/software partitioning, system-level architecture, and technical tradeoff decisions.
• Establish FPGA development and verification best practices and CI workflows.
• Provide cross-functional technical leadership across multiple programs and teams.
• Ensure compliance with medical-device design controls and software lifecycle processes.

Skills

Embedded software development

FPGA design

C/C++ programming

System architecture

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree (Electrical/Computer/Software Engineering)

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Vivado

Quartus

Git

CI/CD

Job description

Work Flexibility: Hybrid The Principal Embedded Software Engineer (FPGA) is a technical leadership role responsible for architecting and guiding the development of complex FPGA-based and embedded software systems used in Software in a Medical Device (SiMD) products. This position serves as the technical authority for FPGA architecture, hardware/software co-design, and embedded platform development while ensuring alignment among stakeholder needs, system architecture, regulatory requirements, and product implementation. The role provides technical leadership across multiple product development programs and collaborates closely with Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Quality, Regulatory, Clinical, Manufacturing, Product Management, and Project Management teams. The role ensures traceability from stakeholder needs through software requirements, implementation, verification, and risk control activities in accordance with design controls and the software development lifecycle.

What You Will Do

Lead the architecture, design, implementation, integration, and verification of complex FPGA-based and embedded software systems for medical devices, including SoC and stand-alone FPGA architectures. Drive hardware/software partitioning, system-level architecture, and technical tradeoff decisions, translating user and system needs into software, FPGA, and subsystem design requirements. Establish FPGA development and verification best practices, including coding standards, reusable test frameworks, self-checking testbenches, automated regression, coverage-driven verification, scripted workflows, automated builds, and Continuous Integration. Partner with Test Leads on establishing verification best practices, reusable test frameworks, self-checking testbenches, and automated regression. Lead complex FPGA design activities involving timing constraints, multiple clock domains, high-performance data paths, fixed-point arithmetic, real-time control, signal processing, and hardware/software interfaces. Serve as a technical authority across development programs, leading architecture/design reviews, resolving complex technical issues, exploring emerging technologies, and developing reusable technology roadmaps. Ensure compliance with medical-device design controls, software lifecycle processes, risk management, traceability, and applicable regulatory standards, supporting regulatory submissions, audits, and QMS deliverables. Lead the development and review of requirements, architecture, design, verification, risk management, and Design History File documentation, while coaching engineers on testable requirements, maintainability, and design for safety. Provide cross-functional technical leadership from concept through commercialization, partnering with Systems, Electrical, Quality, Regulatory, Clinical, Manufacturing, Product Management, and Project Management while mentoring engineers and incorporating customer and business needs into product development.

What You Need (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or related engineering discipline and 8+ years of relevant embedded software experience.
• Experience developing embedded software and FPGA-based systems, including FPGA design, implementation, integration, and/or verification.
• Experience with FPGA development languages and technologies, such as VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog, SoC FPGA, or comparable FPGA platforms.
• Experience leading or contributing to complex embedded product development, including architecture, requirements, system integration, and verification.
• Experience developing embedded software and FPGA-based systems, including programming in C/C++ and FPGA design, implementation, integration, and/or verification.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferred in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Experience with FPGA development tools and platforms, including AMD/Xilinx Vivado and/or Intel Quartus.
• Experience with embedded Linux and/or RTOS development, hardware/software co-design, and FPGA-based digital signal processing.
• Knowledge of FPGA and embedded software verification, including simulation, static/dynamic analysis, coverage analysis, Git, automated builds, and CI/CD.
• Experience with medical device or regulated product development, including requirements traceability, risk management, and standards such as IEC 62304, ISO 14971, and ISO 13485.

$135,600 - $225,900 USD Annual

Travel Percentage: 20%

Stryker Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. Stryker is an EO employer - M/F/Veteran/Disability. Stryker Corporation will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Stryker is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies and, together with its customers, is driven to make healthcare better. We offer innovative products and services in Orthopaedics, Medical and Surgical, and Neurotechnology and Spine that help improve patient and hospital outcomes. We are proud to be named one of the World’s Best Workplaces!

Work Flexibility Remote – Role allows you to work the majority to 100% of time from an alternate workplace. These roles could have travel expectations, and you must work within the country of the job requisition location. Field-based – You can expect to regularly work a majority to 100% of time at customer facilities and has a set territory or expectation to travel within a set boundary. Almost all sales roles would likely be qualified as field-based. Onsite – Role is 100% located at a Stryker facility. Some ad hoc flexibility may be available depending on role, level, and job requirements. Manufacturing roles and any role that requires physical presence at the office would qualify under this category. Hybrid – You can expect to regularly work in both an alternate workplace and a Stryker facility. Roles that are partially remote or co-located would qualify as hybrid, and the expectation to be onsite would be defined and agreed upon by your manager/supervisor.